Ebastus hibbaed



(No Model.)

E. HIBBARD.

MACHINE FOR FINISHING STAVES. o. 281,066. x Patented July 10, 1883.

1 F- wmmssng: .E INVENTOR: Maw 11' W I E B IMAM": I I E ATTORNEYS.

UNITED STATES,

PATENT ERASTUS HIBBARD, OF-SOUTH BARRE, NEW YORK.

MACHINE FOR FINISHING STAVES.

SPEGIFIOATION fQrming part of Letters Patent No. 281,066, dated July 10, 1883.

Application fiIed December 30, 1880. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ERASTUS HIBBARD, of South Barre, in the county of Orleans and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Machines for Finishing Staves, of which the following is a specification.

My improved machine is designed for the work of chamfering, leveling, and crozing staves for barrels and tubs.

The object of the improvement is to construct a machine that shall finish the stave complete, so thatwhenthe barrel or tub is set up and trussed it is ready to receive the head without the use of the usual hand-tools for leveling, chamfering, and crozing. Further, the object is to do the work more perfectly than can be done by hand, especially to give uniform depth of croze in barrels having staves of varying thickness, instead of making the croze too deep in thin staves and too shallow in thick ones, as is generally the casein hand operations. My improved machine combines a revolving mandrel carrying the tools and a feed-bed with traveling belts for carrying the staves. The parts are made adjustable and selfladjusting according to the thickness of stave, as hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is aside elevation of myimproved machine. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse section on line a: m of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a cross-section of the mandrel, showing the cutting-tools; and Fig.5 is a detail showing the beveled fingers of the presser-bar.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

A is a suitable frame supporting the main bed a, upon which are longitudinal tracks I), preferably four in number, and extending the whole length of the bed.

At the ends of the bed, and supported in suitable boxes, areshafts c 0, having fixed pulleys c 0 that carry endless bands or chains d. The shafts c are placed so that the bands (1 extend in line with the tracks I), and with their upper portion resting, or nearly so, on the tracks. The bands may be of flexible material or jointed links, and those at the ends of 5c the shafts are formed with links of a form to take hold upon the pulleys c", which latter are I made of angular form, so that the bands cannot slip, and will transmit the power applied to one shaft 0 to the other. The bands or chains are provided at suitable intervals with projecting lugs d-Q'by which the stoves are carried forward. The boxes carrying shaftscare fitted for movement lengthwise of frameA by means of adjusting-screws n, so that the belts d can be tightened when necessary.

' At about the mid-length of the machine the mandrel Bis fitted across frame A in boxes.

Upon each end of the mandrel is a head, e, and a circular saw, f, outside of and abutting against the head. The heads 6 have four or more faces, to which the beveled cutters a, that chamfer the staves, are adj ustably secured. On the side. of the head are fixed the crozing-cutters t, the ends of which project radially of the head and beyond the cutters a. For tubstaves they will be placed at both ends and one or two circular saws placed at the midlength of the mandrel, as shown at g, for the purpose of cutting the stave in two.

Above the tracks I) apresser-bar, 7a is sup ported transversely of the machine by arms or brackets '13, that rise from the side of frame A. The brackets are provided with screws i, that enter the ends of bar 71, whereby the .bar is supported and may be adjusted to and from the tracks I).

To the under side of bar h, over the two middle tracks I), fingers k are fixed, which are be eled at each end in the direction of feed, so that the staves shall readily pass beneath the fingers and be pressed closely upon the track.

At the ends of bar 71, above heads 0, adjustable plates Z are fitted for holding the ends of the staves down against the action of the tools. The two side tracks I), as shown most clearly in Fig. 3, are raised slightly at their mid-length, and are sustained by springs b, secured in bed a. The object of this feature is to allow selfadjustment of the tracks to the thickness of staves, so that stave thicker than allowed for by the adjustment of plates 1 can pass, the distance between the under side of the plates and the cutting-tools remaining the same, the croze being cut deeper to correspond with the increased thickness.

The mandrel carrying the tools and the shafts c c, carrying belts, are driven from a shaft, in,

that is sustained in boxes at the lower portion of the receiving end of the machine, to the pulley at. of which power is to be applied. The mandrel is driven by a straight belt directly from a pulley, a, on shaft m, while'from asec- 0nd pulley, n, on 'shaft on a straight belt passes to a secondary shaft, 0, fitted at the delivery end of the machine, carrying a pinion that meshes with a gear-wheel, 0, 011 the shaft. 0 above it, so that the bands or chains d are moved in the proper direction.

For the purpose of bringing the staves to the machine from a distance and delivering them after finishing, I use endless belts passing around pulleys p on shafts c, and sustained at the point where the staves are received or delivered by pulleys on a drum or shaft, q, that is sustained in a portable or fixed frame, 1". .The belts pare thereby moved in the same direction as the feed-belts 01,- so that the staves will be brought to the feeding end of the machine for being placed by hand upon belts d, and, after being sawed, chamfered, and crozed, willbe carried to the delivery-belts p, which deliver them at the place desired;

In operation the barrel-staves, being placed on belts cl, are carried forward beneath bar h, and while held down by the'fingers and plates Z the ends are squared by the saws f to give them uniform length, and both ends chamfered and crozed by the cutters. The saws f may be upon hubs adjustably connected on the shaft, so that the length of finished stave can be varied.

In making tub-staves the crozing and chamfering cutters will be fitted at both ends of mandrel B, so that both ends of the stave shall be operated upon, and the saw or saws y will be secured on the middle portion of the shaft, so that the stave will be cut in two at the same time, thereby finishing two tub-staves at once.

To guide the staves and insure their proper presentation to the saws, there is attached to one side of frame A, at the feeding end of the machine, a fixed guide -piece, 0'', extending lengthwise and above the level of the tracks, and at the other side is attached a spring-arm, s, the outer end of which extends toward the saw and the center of the machine. The staves take by one end against the fixed guide r and by the other end against's, which gives way to accommodate inequalities in length. The staves are thus presented squarely and evenly to the tools.

' This machine will accomplish the work rapidly and uniformly, and requires no skilled labor for its, operation; The staves, when trussed for completing the barrel or tub, will be uniform in their chamfered portion and in diameter of croze, and the thickness of material outside of vcroze inIeach stave will be uniform, instead of some being cut nearly through and others too shallow, as is the case when the croze is out while the stavesare trussed up in wooden truss-hoops, as such hoops seldom remain true circles.

I am aware that an adjustable pressure-bar has heretofore been employed in stave-finishing machines, and I therefore do not claim such invention.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. In a machine for finishing staves, the combination, with the bed a and revolving mandrel B, carrying the finishingtools, of the longitudinal tracks b, the endless chains d, provided with the projecting lugs .11, and the adjustable presser-bar h, provided with the fingers 70, substantially as herein shown and described. r L

2. In a machine. for finishing staves, the combination, with the revolving mandrel B, having saws f and cutters ta at each end, of saws g, mounted on the said shaft at the middle of its length, substantially as herein shown and described, whereby provision is made for finishing two tub-staves at once, as set forth.

3. In machines for finishing staves, the adjustable bar h, provided with fingers k, and adj ustable plates 1, combined with bed a, tracks 11, feed-bands d, and tool-mandrel B, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

4. In machines for finishing staves, the raised side tracks I), provided with springs 7), com bined with feed-bands d, presser-bar h, bed a, and mandrel B, sustained by the bed, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

5. In a machine for finishing staves, the combination, with the endless chains d, provided with the projecting lugs cl, and the mandrel B, carrying the finishing-tools, of the adjustaable presser-bar h, provided with the fingers k, having beveled ends, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

, EBASTUS HIBBABD.

Witnesses:

J OHN W. HILL, WILLIAM SUTI-IERLAND. 

